The Madhya Pradesh government has spent over Rs 60 lakh in sending a delegation comprising officials of the school education department and others to South Korea to learn the good schooling practices there and implement them in the state, according to reports.
The government’s move has, however, raised the hackles of anti-corruption activists.
A sum of Rs 62.25 lakh was granted towards expenses incurred on the visit of the officials to Seoul from October 20-24 and upcoming visit from November 3-7, 2019, reports said.
Anti-corruption activists have raised objections to these training in Seoul, claiming nepotism in sending the officers to Korea.
“There has been an irregularity in selecting officers for the Korea trip. The state government should look into it and ensure that the real beneficiary attends the course so that good education-related policies of Korea can be replicated in the state,” Ajay Dubey, transparency activist, told to India Today.
Citing an official document, Dubey said, officers planning the programme are putting conditions like “mandatory inclusion of gents” in the note-sheet seeking financial and administrative approval from senior officers for the training in Korea, in their apparent bid to favour some.
“There are at least five training programmes being organised by spending around Rs 1.5 crore. The government officials are also buying expensive gifts for some unknown people there in Korea, Dubey said, referring to the documents.
MoU between MP Govt and KDIS
The Madhya Pradesh government’s Department of School Education, and Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (KDIS) collectively referred to as ‘slides’, have signed a memorandum of understanding for ‘executive training program for the school education officers (the government of Madhya Pradesh)’.
The state government has decided to train around 200 officers and principals on ways to improve their efficiency and capacity during 2019-20 at Korea Development Institute, Seoul. The State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT) has been made the nodal authority to arrange all logistics related to the training program at Seoul.
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